For me, seed investing is personal. If we meet, I’ll want to hear your story before I hear the pitch. I want to know what the forces and circumstances are that have shaped you, and why this particular problem matters enough for you to build a company around it. I’m not looking for someone who has every answer or fits a particular mold. I look for drive, self-awareness, and conviction. Before I invest, I also ask myself one simple question: Do I care? Do I care deeply enough about this founder, this problem, and this company to give it everything I have? If the answer is yes, I’m all in.

My own story has taken a few wide arcs and given me two distinct but connected careers. I spent the first 20 years as an M&A investment banker in SF, Paris, London and NYC focused on telecommunications, cable, and technology infrastructure. I worked for Bill Daniels, known as the father of cable television in the United States, and eventually became a senior partner at his firm. As a banker, I lived and worked across Europe and the United States and advised entrepreneurs and companies on deals across 30 countries. That experience taught me how to evaluate opportunities, navigate high-stakes decisions, and work with very different kinds of leaders, all of which still shapes how I advise founders today.

We sold the firm to RBC Capital Markets and I stepped away from banking in 2010 to serve as COO of the City of Los Angeles and Senior Advisor to the then Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa. That experience reinforced something I had seen throughout my international career. There is no single background or personality type that produces a great leader, and the strongest teams are often made up of people who see the world differently.

For the past two decades, I’ve been making seed investments in tech’s most promising B2B founders, with an emphasis on Vertical AI Software and Fintech. Before Bonfire, I founded Double M Partners and Mull Capital and managed high-growth funds focused on internet, media, and technology. I also frequently co-invested with Jim Andelman, which became the foundation for our rewarding partnership at Bonfire.

I’ve invested through several major technology and capital markets shifts, and that experience has taught me how important it is to stay steady when everything around you is changing. I try not to get swept up in the hype or distracted by the inevitable swings in the market. AI is changing both the companies that can be built and the kind of founder it takes to build them, but the fundamentals still matter. Good judgment, real customer understanding, and the discipline to build something lasting never go out of style.

I try to be the person founders call first when something important happens, especially when something goes wrong. I’ll give you my honest opinion, make the introduction, pick up the phone, and help you think through the decision. I take mentorship seriously and believe my job extends well beyond the board meeting.

Outside of work, what I value most is time with my family and friends and everyone, including my wife and kids calls me "Mull".  I’ve always been drawn to stories about people taking enormous risks and venturing into the unknown, which probably explains why Undaunted Courage is my favorite book and why, after all these years, I still love working with founders.